Christian Reflection and Prayer

How have you known the power of God's
love in your life?

No, despite all these things, overwhelming
victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Romans 8:37 NLT

O Love that will not let me go

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O Love That Will Not Let Me Go,
GEORGE MATHESON (1842-1906)

George Matheson went completely blind when he
was eighteen years old. Still, he remained a star
student. He went on to become a great preacher
in the Church of Scotland, assisted by his sister,
who learned Greek and Hebrew to help with his
research.

This hymn was written on the evening of June 6,
1882. "I was at that time alone," Matheson later
wrote. "It was the day of my sister's marriage.…
Something happened to me, which was known only
to myself, and which caused me the most severe
mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that
suffering."

What was it that happened to him? Some think
he was remembering the time he himself was
engaged to be married and his fiancee broke the
engagement when she learned that he would soon
be completely blind. Or perhaps it was difficult for
him to have his devoted sister getting married. In
any case, he was led to ponder God's eternal love,
which would turn his "flick'ring torch" into blazing
daylight.

adapted from The One Year® Book of Hymns by
Mark Norton and Robert Brown, Tyndale House
Publishers (1995), entry for March 8
Love is not something you feel. It's something you
do.      DAVID WILKERSON